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530 Credibility of the Gospel llisiory.
voured to h\\o\\ (lie falsehood of the sacred scriptures, collecting"
out of them passages, which seemed to contradict each
other; and that, such a number of them, that it might be
suspected he had himself some time been a christian.—But
he especially abuses Peter and Paul, and the other disciples,
as propagators of falsehood : though, as that writer says, they
were ignorant and unlearned, and some of them earned their
livelihood by fishing-.'
It is plain, that Lactantius here speaks of christian scriptures,
or the books of the New Testament. But I say no
more of this passage at present, because another opportunity
may offer to take more particular notice of it.
(3.) Lactantius relates our Saviour's conception^ in the
womb of a virgin by the power of the Holy Ghost. And he
applies to that event the words of Isa. vii. 14, both in his
Institutions, and in his Epitome, as St. Matthew does,
ch. i. 23.
(4.) He seems also to refer to Matt. i. 21, in the Epitome,
when he says, ' That'' our Lord has among men two names,
Jesus, which signifies Saviour; and Christ, which is the same
as King, or anointed. He is called Saviour, because he is
health and salvation to all that through him believe in God.'
He speaks to the like purpose in the^ Institutions.
(5.) He relates our Lord's baptism by John in the river
Jordan. ' Then,' says he-', ' was heard a voice from heaven,
videbantur, exposuit, adeo nuilta, adeo intima enumcians, ut aliquando ex
eadem disciplina fuisse videatur. Praecipue tamen Paulum, Petrumque
laceravit, caeterosque discipulos, tanquam fallaciae seminatores, quos eosdein
tamen rudes et indoctos fuisse testatus est. Nam quosdam eorum piscatorio
artificio fecisse quaestum. 1. v. c. 2.
* Descendens itaque de coelo sancfus ille spiritus Dei sanctum virginem,
cujus utero se insinuaret, elegit. At ilia divino spiritu hausto repleta concepit,
et sine ullo attactu viri repente virginalis uterus intumuit. Item propheta
Esaias cujus verba sunt haec : Propter hoc dabit Deus ipse vobis signum, et
vocabitis nomenejus Emmanuel. 1. iv. c. 12. p. 383.
Apud Esaiam sic; Ecce virgo accipiet in uteruni, et pariet filium, et voca-
bitis nomen ejus Emmanuel, quod significat, Nobiscum Deus. Epit. c. 44.
p. 115. Ed. Davis.
" Ab hominibus tamen duobus vocabulis nuncupatur, Jesus, quod est Salvator
; et Christus, quod est Rex : Salvator ideo, quia est sanatio et salus omnium,
qui per eum credunt in Deum : Christus vero, &c. Epit. c. 42. in fin. p. 108.
Vid. Davis, not.
* Jesus quippe inter homines nominatur. Nam Christus non proprium
nomen est. Erat Judceisante pracceplum, ut sacrum conficerent unguentum,
quo perungi possent ii, qui vocabantur ad sacerdotium, vel ad regnum,
&c. I. iv. c. 7. p. 367.
y Cum primum coepit adolescerc, tinctug est a Joanne propheta in Jordane
flumine. Tunc vox audita de coelo est : Filius meus es tu, Ego hodie
genui te. Et descendit super eum Spiritus Dei, formatus in speciem
columbae Candida). Exinde maximas virtutes coepit operari. QuEe ojiera